


Puppy Steps

by JustLookFrightenedAndScuttle



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Adopting a dog, M/M, Relationship Talks, cobbler instead of pie, etablished relationship, housetraining accidents
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-26
Updated: 2017-09-26
Packaged: 2019-01-05 21:57:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,153
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12198174
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustLookFrightenedAndScuttle/pseuds/JustLookFrightenedAndScuttle
Summary: Jack and Bitty adopt a dog, who does things dogs do. Discussion ensues.





	Puppy Steps

**Author's Note:**

> This was a prompt fill for Tumblr user [tibean2992](http://tibean2992.tumblr.com/). Feel free to shoot any more Zimbits prompts to me at [justlookfrightened](http://justlookfrightened.tumblr.com/)!

It hit Bitty’s nose first.

He unlocked the door to the condo, picked up the reusable grocery bags from his feet and shouldered the door open and was assaulted by the smell.

He groaned and put the bags in the kitchen, barely pausing to note the empty dog crate that stood there, and followed the odor to the guest bedroom. Whose rug was now decorated with a literal steaming pile of crap.

Lord.

“Belinda!” he called.

No response.

He went looking and found the dog sitting in the master bedroom, facing the door, just waiting for him. Her brown eyes were warm and her forehead was furrowed slightly, as though she was worried or confused.

Bitty forced himself to take a deep breath. Through his mouth.

Seeing that the dog (puppy, he reminded himself) did not appear sick and was not currently engaged in act of destruction helped him calm down, and he remembered not to scold the dog for something that probably happened, what, maybe 15 minutes ago? The crap was still steaming after all.

Instead, he tried to keep his tone neutral as he said, “And just what were you doing loose in the house by yourself? Did you use those big eyes on Jack and make him feel too guilty to put you in your crate before he left for practice? I swear, I am going to have to have a talk with that boy. Again. For now, let me clean up and we can take it right to the dumpster when we head out for our walk.”

Belinda, with her gangly legs and broad shoulders, heard the word walk and popped up, butting the backs of his legs with her head as he fetched paper towels, a scrub brush, a plastic bag and disinfectant.

“Nope, you’re just gonna have to wait, Belly,” Bitty said.

He cleaned up thoroughly, then put on his coat and hat and snapped Belinda’s pink harness around her chest and shoulders. Jack hadn’t looked thrilled at the choice, but Bitty overruled him.

“First, it looks great against her black coat,” he’d said. “Second, she’s a six-month-old, obnoxious, rambunctious pit bull, Jack, and she’s not going to do anything but grow. You know she’s sweet and affectionate, and I know she’s sweet and affectionate, but a lot of people will look at her and think she’s vicious just because.”

Belinda had been with them for three months now, and mostly she was doing fine, Bitty thought. But she still couldn’t always be trusted alone in the house, and she would eat anything put in front of her, and some things not put in front of her. Bitty’s work at training her to walk nicely on her leash was paying dividends, at least most of the time, and by now, nearly all the people in the building were happy to see her.

If only Jack were as easy to train.

******************************

The scent of dinner bubbling on the stove drew Jack into the kitchen as soon as he got home. Bits was at the counter cutting apples while the chicken stew simmered and Belinda sat at his feet, looking up to make sure she caught any pieces that happened to fall.

Jack stepped up behind Bitty and leaned over to kiss his cheek. “Smells good,” he said. “But isn’t it a little late to start a pie?”

“Hush your mouth,” Bitty said. “It’s never too late to make pie.”

“I guess I was hoping it was for dessert,” Jack said, stooping over to scratch behind Belinda’s ears. “How are you, baby girl?”

Bitty harrumphed and said, “It is for dessert, and it’s not pie. I’m making a cobbler that can bake while we’re eating.”

“Sounds good,” Jack said. “Want me to set the table?”

“You didn’t ask why I’m making cobbler instead of pie,” Bitty said.

“Ok, Jack said. “Why cobbler instead of pie?”

“Because I didn’t have time for pie because when I got home from the market, Belinda was not in her crate,” he said. “She was in our bedroom. The pile of poop she left was in the guest bedroom.”

“Merde,” Jack said.

“Precisely,” Bitty said. “I had to clean the rug, and air the place out, and now you don’t get pie. What will it take to get you to put Belinda in her crate? She’s safer there, where there are no wires or anything to chew on, and she doesn’t have accidents there.”

“I know, I know,” Jack said. “But she doesn’t like it, and I was gone all last week, and I don’t want to be the guy who just locks her in the cage. Besides, you were only going to be out another hour or so.”

Bitty shook his head and muttered something Jack couldn’t quite hear, although he thought he heard the word “children.”

“She doesn’t like being separated from us,” Bitty said. “If you’re going out anyway, she’ll settle right down and go to sleep. Which she also needs to do because she’s still a growing girl. If you leave her out, she finds ways to amuse herself, and she gets herself in trouble, Jack. She could hurt herself.”

When Jack went down the hall toward the bedrooms to change, he detected the faint scent of disinfectant.

“Belinda, ma belle, you can’t do that,” he said to the dog, who was following him. “If you can’t behave, you are going to have to stay in the crate when you’re alone. Bitty’s right.”

Bitty was usually right, Jack reflected. But they had agreed on adopting Belinda.

It had been Jack’s idea to get a dog. He was gone so much during the season, and Bitty spent so much time on his own. Bitty had gotten a job as a communications and marketing consultant for non-profits, but it was based in Boston and Bits worked four days a week out of the condo. He was also putting together a cookbook for a small publisher – Jack’s parents had taken to promoting Bitty’s vlog on their own social media accounts, his subscription numbers had soared, and people started taking notice. Bitty hadn’t gotten any advance on the book, but he’d been thrilled to have an actual publisher interested.

Jack was glad things were going well for Bitty, but Bitty’s commitments meant that most of his social interaction when Jack was gone was over the internet. Sure, sometimes he took his laptop to the coffeeshop on the corner, but Bitty should have more regular company.

And Bitty had been eager once Jack suggested getting a dog. He’d pulled up the websites for a few local shelters that very evening, and started reading up on their adoption requirements.

Jack had been just as excited; he’d always wanted a dog when he was growing up, but his mother had always said no because they all traveled so much, and he was too young to take proper care of a pet anyway. Then he’d gone into Q and lived in a billet and, well, it was just never right. But now he was settled, and Bitty was there, and it seemed like the perfect time.

A week of so after they started looking at the websites, a young beagle mix appeared on one of them. He was adorable, not tiny, but not too big, active. And his name was Stanley. It seemed like fate.

But Jack had a roadie, and the shelter required everyone in the household to come in to adopt a dog, so they couldn’t go in for another five days. The day after Jack got home, Bitty checked the website while Jack was at morning skate, and Stanley was still listed as being available. When they arrived and asked about him, though, they were told that he had gone home with his new family only an hour earlier.

Jack was ready to leave, but Bitty wanted to walk through the dog room “just to see.” At that point, Jack had been pretty sure they’d be leaving with a dog.

The first one Jack’s eyes lit on was a smaller mutt, probably part spaniel, with a white and light brown coat and spritely way of jumping up on the door of her cage. Bitty looked longingly at a husky with dramatic coloring and icy blue eyes, but he dragged his eyes away when Jack said, “Those dogs need miles of walks or runs each day. Not really made for a condo.”

“Yeah,” Bitty said. “And imagine the shedding.”

Then they had seen Belinda, curled on the low bed in her cage with a stuffed toy between her legs. When they made eye contact, her brow had furrowed and she got up and came to the door. As soon as Bitty put his hand down, she licked his fingers and Jack had asked the shelter volunteer to get Belinda out so they could play with her.

She’d been theirs ever since. But really, Jack thought, Bitty’s. Bitty couldn’t sit on the couch without Belinda curling up against his side, usually snuffling at his neck or ear before she settled down. Jack knew she slept on his side of the bed when he was gone. She liked Jack, he knew she did, but if Belinda had an alpha, it was Bitty.

Jack went back to the kitchen and laid the table while Bitty slid the cobbler in the oven and pulled the salad from the fridge.

Then Jack poured water for both of them while Bitty carried the stew to the table. They both sat down, and Jack felt Belinda lie down under the table, her head on his foot.

“You’d best not be planning to feed her under the table,” Bitty said.

“A bite of chicken won’t kill her,” Jack said.

“No, but it will make her try to wheedle food out of every person who sits at our table. Do you want her doing that to Tater, or to your parents?”

“They wouldn’t mind,” Jack said.

“Mine would,” Bitty said. “If they ever visit. It’s like Coach says about his boys: It’s easier to teach them good habits to start than break bad habits later.”

Jack didn’t quite know how to answer that, but he didn’t have to. Bitty looked down at his plate and up again. “Oh my Lord,” he said. “I just quoted Coach.”

Jack chuckled. “I know,” he said. “But he’s right, so I guess you are too. I just want her to like me.”

“She does like you,” Bitty said.

“But she’s always with you,” Jack said. “And she’s really attached to you, which is good, but …”

Jack stopped, because it sounded silly to even say it. He just wanted to be part of it, instead of like an outsider.

“But what?” Bitty asked. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s just, you two spend so much time together,” Jack said. “She looks at you like you created roast beef. You talk to her in that baby voice and let her lick your face all the time.”

“Are you jealous?” Bitty asked. “Really? You’re the one who wanted a dog in the first place. And I’m the one who walks her and feeds her and cleans up after her and tries to train her. Of course she’s attached to me! And of course I’m attached to her – she’s adorable! Have you seen her?”

“I know, Bits,” Jack said. “And I’m glad. Really. Never mind me. I’ll be better.”

Bitty was looking at him.

“No,” he said. “I mean, yes, by all means put her in her crate instead of leaving her loose, and if you want to give her a treat, do it away from the table. But don’t just act like how you feel doesn’t matter. I know you care about her just as much as I do. And you did so much research before we brought her home – if it wasn’t for that article you found I’d have had no idea dogs can’t have grapes. I guess it’s just the way it is right now – but your season will end eventually, and then we can divide up the work a little more. It’ll be fine.”

Jack started eating in earnest then, finally feeling like he’d been absolved of his guilt. After dinner, Bitty went into the office to get a little work done while Jack cleaned up the kitchen, and gave Belinda a few morsels of chicken in her dish.

Later that night, once he had crawled in bed next to Bitty, once Belinda had hopped off the bed and lay on the blanket near the bedroom door, Bitty curled into his side and kissed his shoulder. 

“I’m sorry if I made you feel left out,” Bitty said. “Tell you what. You can have all the … affection … you want from me. Right now or whenever. And if you need some bonding time with Belinda, well, you can have the early morning walk tomorrow.” 


End file.
